Habits of Long Distance Best Friends

As we’re headed back to college, many of us are spending the final days with our best friends. Only a lucky few attend the same university, and the rest must say temporary goodbyes. In my case, my best friend and I live 1,120 miles apart even when I’m not at school. It doesn’t help that my travels often put even more miles (and bad Wi-Fi) between us.

Anyhow, now that I’ve spent twelve wonderful days with my second half, I’ve been reminded of all the habits that long distance friends have…

1. You miss them all the time. All. The. Time.

2. When you’re out with friends, you have moments of guilt, because you know you’d be having 110% more fun if your best friend was with you.

3. Talking about your best friend with other friends. Basically you’ve created a long distance legend.

4. Talking about your friends with your best friend. You assure her that they’re wonderful, but you wish she was there.

5. The daily “I miss you” texts.

6. Convincing your parents to help buy plane tickets for Christmas.

7. Counting down the annual summer visit. 315 days. You can survive, right?

8. No sleep when you’re together in person.

9. Glaring at people who try to interrupt your precious one -on- one time.

10. When your parents note that you send each other more texts in a day than the rest of the family does in a month… We will have arthritis in our thumbs someday, but it’s worth it.

11. The “she doesn’t even live nearby. How is she your best friend?” speach that you get from random people.

12. You wait for her to stalk your new boyfriend via Facebook. Really. She has to approve.

13. Also, she meets your boyfriend via Skype.

14. You often become jealous of her nearby friends. It isn’t fair that you can’t see her in person every day. After all you are her best friend.

15. Video chats. All. The. Time.

16. You dream of being roommates or next door neighbors one day.

17. You have long distance Netflix marathons.

18. Bad reception is a nightmare, and you have bad dreams of only being able to contact each other by old fashioned letter writing.

19. It isn’t uncommon for you to threaten to beat up someone you have never actually met. No one, no matter how far away they live, gets away with treating your best friend poorly.

20. You never let them leave your sight when you’re together.

21. Sometimes you have strange sleep habits. Time zone differences can be evil.

22. Watching and reading BuzzFeed “best friend” posts is tradition.

23. Feelings of jealously bubble to the surface when you see other best friends who live closer to each other.

24. Somehow all of your grad school choices share the same state as your best friend. Coincidence? Of course not.

25. You dread the airport goodbyes, but you understand that true friendship cannot be destroyed by distance.